SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy Review

Absolutely anyone can play SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy. Whether or not they’ll want to, however, is another matter.

Bringing together female characters from multiple SNK properties, SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy is full of bouncing boobs and exposed skin, which should tell you a lot about it. But if you want it spelling out in layman’s terms: it’s not a deep fighting game with complex mechanics, it’s very superficial. It puts showiness above gameplay; sex appeal before systems.

Ever so simple

There are 14 characters on offer including Terry Bogard, who has somehow been turned into a girl. No matter who you play as though, you’ll not find a great deal of difference between them. SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy is simplified to the point where it makes the recent Blade Strangers seem complex.

You have a button for light attacks, and one for strong attacks. Hammering the light attack button will perform a short combo, which you can then finish with a strong attack if you please. And if you want to get really adventurous, you could try to add a special attack into the mix too; there’s another button for that. Throwing your opponent has its own dedicated button, too.

There’s even a button to guard; you can’t simply hold away from your opponent. And your super combo-like attacks, known as ‘Dream Finishers’, you guessed it, also have their own button. It honestly feels like there’s a button for everything in SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy, and I guess there pretty much is. Except for crouching. You can’t crouch no matter how hard you try.

Dream Finish her!

What SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy lacks in depth, however, it somewhat makes up for in unusualness. This isn’t your bog-standard fighter laden with scantily-clad ladies to make it more appealing to a certain sub-sect of gamers; it’s a tag team fighter with elements of the likes of Super Smash Bros. and scantily clad ladies. You don’t win by simply beating your opponent until their life bar is depleted; you have to successfully land a Dream Finish to put them out of their misery.

While you have two characters and can switch between them with the push of a button, their health is shared. They each have their own special attack bar though, which grows in size as the health bar is depleted. Powering – you guessed it – special attacks, as well as enabling you to perform Dream Finishers, you’ll find that the character in reserve regenerates charge in their special attack bar faster than the one you’re currently using.

To win in SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy, you need to beat down your opponents until their health meter enters a flashing red zone. At that point, successfully landing a Dream Finish on them will grant you the win. By fully depleting your opponents’ health bar, however, you can momentarily force them into a stunned state, allowing you to end the match with a Dream Finish without any struggle. Easy.

Don’t slip on that banana

In order to add a little more pizzazz to fights, there’s also an item system in play. You’ll find yellow spheres plastered across the stage, and by hitting them you’ll obtain a random item to use. Items range from barriers that hinder movement, to bombs that take a chunk of your opponent’s life away; you just never know what you’re going to get. It’s safe to say that they add a bit of unpredictability and fun to the proceedings.

Overall, SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy‘s combat system is somewhat fun despite being shallow. It’s at least a little different from your usual affair. You’ll certainly have some fun while working your way through all the game’s modes, but it’s likely to be short-term fun.

All the modes you’ve come to expect from a fighting game are included, such as arcade, story, survival and practice. You can of course also take the action online if you wish. Oh, and SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy‘s story is simply ridiculous. Comprising of short cutscenes between bouts of combat, it’s one of the most nonsensical things I’ve ever witnessed. Though you do at least get to witness storyboard endings for each of the characters while the credits roll.

Shallow fun

How much long-term fun you’ll get out of the game will depend on how eager you are to unlock all of its character customisation items. Some you’ll unlock as you play, but many need to be purchased with gold that you accumulate. There are costumes, accessories and even voices to buy, and while you can’t change the appearance of the characters too much, you’ll at least appreciate that you can give them your own touch.

Like many Switch games, SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy‘s visuals look great on the small screen, but less so when displayed on a TV. Though that’s not to say that it’s an eyesore when played in docked mode. Character models and environments are fairly detailed and awash with colour, while hits are accompanied by a plethora of quirky icons that erupt from the point of impact. And don’t worry, whether you play in handheld or docked mode, performance is solid.

SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy isn’t going to wow you. It’s not going to blow you away with its depth or visuals, or just about anything really. It is quite fun though, at least in small doses. If you’re after a fighting game that’s a bit unusual, and that you can play with just about anyone regardless of their skill level, you’ll get something out of it. Just don’t go into it expecting any real long-term fun.

SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy is available on PS4 and Switch. We reviewed the Switch version.